After a very slow 30 months, development in Ballard is on the rise again, announced Barry Hawley of Hawley Realty on Wednesday evening. Hawley said we can expect to see 750 new apartment units in the next two years and another thousand within five to six years if there's a demand.

"It would be a mistake to say it wasn't a tough recession but developments are starting to build again and real estate in Ballard is selling," Hawley said.

Hawley predicts to see developments "sooner than later", especially on some of Ballard's most talked about vacant lots.

"I understand that Avalon will soon move forward on developing the former Sunset Bowl site," he said. Avalon Bay plans to build 234 apartment united and 15,000 square feet of retail space on the corner of 14th Ave N.W. and Market.

Equity Residential has purchased the former Denny’s property and is finalizing permits to build a 261-unit mixed-use building with almost 33,000 square feet of retail space.

And the property east of the Ballard Library on N.W 56th Street, was recently sold for $10 million and Hawley said he thinks the buyers will start developing it soon.

"Ballard is certainly going to be a mixed-use town. Ballard has a lot of positives in its favor," Hawley said crediting Amazon's move to South Lake Union, the Swedish Medical Center and "the best high school in the Seattle Public Schools system" for bringing in the developers.

What concerns Halwey however, is the low demand for office space and general retail.

"Most of it can be bought online these days and Northgate has hurt Ballard for years," he said.

"We need office space in Ballard or Ballard will become a bedroom community and it won't be pretty."